As is well known in the art, N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide is a very useful compound which is used as a silylating agent in the synthesis of organic compounds, especially pharmaceutical compounds. This compound, however, can be used only under limited conditions because it lacks thermal stability and is susceptible to decomposition reaction as shown by the following scheme when heated to high temperature. ##STR1##
There exists a need for improving the thermal stability of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide.